India's Moonlighting Trend: 29-Year-Old Techie Rohit's Two-Job Hustle Earns Him ₹7 Lakh A Month, But Financial Anxiety Persists
· Free Press Journal
A 29-year-old Indian techie named Rohit has revealed that he earns close to Rs. 7 lakh a month by working two full-time IT jobs, one during the day and another at night. Despite owning two houses, a car and savings of over Rs. 80 lakh, Rohit says the fear of AI disrupting the IT job market keeps him financially anxious. The story of techie Rohit moonlighting between two jobs has since sparked a wider conversation around India's growing moonlighting trend. He shared his story on the personal finance podcast Fix Your Finance, hosted by mutual fund advisor Anshuman Sharma.
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Techie Rohit's 16-hour work routine
Rohit told Anshuman Sharma that he juggles two IT jobs simultaneously, one of which is with a US-based company. "I'm working for two companies, one in day and one in night," he said, adding that the arrangement adds up to 16 hours of work every day.
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Asked what pushes him to work such long hours, Rohit spoke about his family's financial struggles growing up. "The financial condition has worsened a lot. Only one person can be studied. My brother taught me," he said. He added that the responsibility now weighs heavily on him. "Then it's like a burden on me. If I can't do it, it's like a family failure," Rohit said.
Big expenses after becoming a father
Rohit's spending has grown significantly since he became a father. "I became a father. My family asked me to buy a car," he said. He soon followed the car purchase with a bigger investment. "But then after that, I bought a flat as well. The 2 BHK flat at 85 lakhs," he said.
Even with a healthy income and growing assets, Rohit said his IT background makes him uneasy about the future. "The point is, I'm doing an IT job and you know, the AI is booming," he said.
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When Sharma asked him about his savings, Rohit gave a detailed breakup of his portfolio. "So in my mutual funds, yesterday I had 70 lakhs. 2 lakhs in stock market and 10 lakhs in FD," he said, putting his total savings at around Rs. 82 lakh.
Sharma pointed out that Rohit was already in a financially secure position. "So what's the problem? You are 29. You have 2 houses. You have bought a car. You didn't have to take any loan even in your marriage," Sharma said. Rohit responded by explaining his worry over income stability. "I think like, if suppose anything goes wrong, my income just got reduced. How I can handle that?" he said.
Rohit also broke down his upcoming monthly liabilities. "So after once my house will deliver, it's around 60,000. And my car EMI is 28,000," he said, adding that his total monthly expenses, including household costs, would touch Rs. 1.3 lakh to Rs. 1.4 lakh.
Sharma noted that Rohit's savings already covered years of expenses. "You have 4 years of your expenses saved up in your assets. What is the stress?" he asked.
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Rohit admitted that the demanding schedule has left him with little room for a personal life. "It's very rare that I give time to people and all. So that situation, I just want to go out," he said.
When Sharma asked whether he could give up his day job to reclaim some of that time, Rohit laid out a five to six year target instead. "In next 5 to 6 years, I want to save up to 7 or 8 crores. Then I will just left that job and only continue my US job," he said.
Sharma closed the conversation by asking Rohit to weigh his priorities. He asked whether Rohit would be willing to save less each month in exchange for more time with his child, even if it meant retiring a few years later than planned.
Rohit's case reflects a broader shift among Indian professionals. Industry reports tracking the technology and gig economy have pointed to a rise in moonlighting activity in recent years, driven by remote work, flexible employment and growing access to global freelance opportunities. Workforce surveys suggest that a significant share of Indian employees, particularly Gen Z professionals, are open to taking up side jobs alongside their primary employment to boost income and build new skills.